Seeing that the young man in white shirt spoke sincerely and had a righteous look on his face, the scholar felt relieved that he should not be a desperate criminal.

However, seeing the swords on the waists of the three guards, the scholar was still afraid, and immediately stammered, "No, it's okay. Like the four brothers, I also came to Lanruo Temple to stay for one night. If, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave first!"

"Hey, wait a minute!"

The young guard with a sword at his waist immediately stopped the scholar.

After the scholar turned around with a forced smile, he said in a friendly manner: "I'm sorry, brother, my last name is Ding Xian, I'm not a villain, and it was just an unintentional act just now. I hope you can forgive me!"

The scholar forced a smile and said, "Okay...Okay!"

Ding Xian smiled slightly, and then his eyes moved slightly. He glanced at the two swordsmen who were still fighting in the courtyard, and asked in a gentle tone: "Brother, we came a little late, and I don't know what happened here. May I ask why these two people in the courtyard started fighting, and how long they plan to fight for."

"If they fight all night, we who are just taking a rest will suffer!"

…So that’s why!

The scholar suddenly realized and was about to answer that he had just arrived not long ago, when he heard the bearded swordsman snort coldly.

"Xiahou, did you hear me? You are disturbing the people who are staying here. Why don't you stop it now?!"

“Stop talking nonsense!” The black-clad swordsman named Xiahou’s sword moves became faster and faster, and his words became sharper and sharper. “If you are afraid of me, then admit defeat quickly and give up the title of the world’s number one swordsman. Stop standing there and not doing anything!”

Xiahou became more and more angry as he spoke. He snorted coldly and shouted angrily, "A swordsman should be sharp and invincible. But you, Yan Chixia, did the opposite. You got the title of the best swordsman in the world and then you hid from the world. It's impossible for us, the rising stars, to find you. How can there be a swordsman like you in the world?"

"Do you deserve the title of the best swordsman in the world?!"

As he spoke, Xiahou swung the sword in his hand quickly, and a dark light flashed on the sword.

The next second, a faint light appeared, and the sharp sword energy broke away from the sword body and slashed towards Yan Chixia's neck like a streak of silk.

Yan Chixia sighed upon seeing this, and the long sword in his hand glowed red. The majestic and righteous sword intent suddenly surged, and the sword tip rang softly, easily cutting off the sword energy wielded by Xiahou.

The sword energy was raging, carrying with it rolling waves of air as it whizzed past Yan Chixia on both sides, cutting off the two stone pillars in front of the temple behind him.

Yan Chixia had already taken this opportunity to step forward, approached closely, and placed the sword in his hand on Xiahou's shoulder.

The sword was icy cold, emitting a chilly glow under the moonlight.

Xiahou stared blankly at the long sword on his shoulder, then at Yan Chixia who looked calm in front of him, and couldn't help but sighed and said, "I didn't expect that you have been hiding in this ghost place for more than half a month, and you have sharpened this sword even more..."

"Wrong!" Yan Chixia said coldly, "You are too aggressive and unstoppable, leaving no room for maneuver, that's why you are defeated by me repeatedly."

Xiahou sneered, lowered his sword, and said calmly: "You beat me, so naturally everything you say is right!"

Yan Chixia frowned and sighed, "Xiahou, you have fought with me for seven years for the false reputation of the world's number one swordsman, and you have lost for seven years. Haven't you ever thought carefully about why this is the case?"

Xiahou sneered, "Why?"

Yan Chixia said calmly: "Because your purpose is not pure, your intention is not right, so your sword moves are naturally unstable. If you can't cultivate your mind and cultivate your character, and make further progress in your state of mind, even if you can draw your sword faster and more accurately in the future, you will never be my opponent in this life!"

Hearing Yan Chixia's evaluation, the young man in white nodded slightly, obviously thinking that the evaluation was very pertinent.

But Xiahou had been blinded by the title of the best swordsman in the world, and he remained unmoved by Yan Chixia's kind advice.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Xiahou sneered, "I'm here to challenge you in a duel, not to listen to your preaching. Everyone has their own path, and my sword path is to move forward. No matter what you say, it will not shake my sword determination, so don't waste your breath!"

At this point, Xiahou paused, then looked at the sword on his shoulder and sneered, "Yan Chixia, if you want to kill me, then kill me. If you don't want to kill me, then let me go. I'm warning you in advance. When my swordsmanship improves, I'll come to fight you again!"

"you!"

Yan Chixia's eyes opened wide, and veins bulged on his right hand holding the sword.

After hesitating for a long time, Yan Chixia finally lowered his sword and cursed angrily.

"He won't eat anything!"

“…”

Xiahou glanced at him, snorted coldly, grabbed the sword and turned away.

Passing by the scholar and the white-shirted young man and his group of four, Xiahou looked at them coldly and said indifferently: "This place is gloomy and evil, and there are villains like Yan Chixia who live in seclusion here. If you don't want to lose your life for no reason, you'd better choose another place."

After saying that, Xiahou didn't care about their response and strode away.

Looking at Xiahou's departing back, the young man in white shirt smiled.

"The swordsman is awe-inspiring and righteous. Although this man is a little too sharp, he can still be considered a true swordsman."

Hearing the comments of the young man in white, Yan Chixia glanced at him and said calmly: "If not for this, why would I spare his life so many times? But don't think he is kind, he just wants to disgust me before leaving, so he advised you to leave!"

The young man in white shirt smiled and asked, "So, is what he said true or false?"

"Of course it's true!" Yan Chixia glared at them and said viciously, "This place is filled with gloomy evil spirits, and there are villains like me living here in seclusion. If you are afraid of death, leave now!"

Faced with Yan Chixia's intimidation, the young man in white and others did not react, but the scholar was frightened and quickly hid behind Ding Xian.

"What he said is true!" The scholar swallowed his saliva and whispered, "I have seen his wanted poster in the county..."

"Oh?" Ding Xian raised his eyebrows and looked at Yan Chixia with interest, "You are wanted?"

"You are the one who is wanted!" Yan Chixia glared at Ding Xian and the scholar, and said unhappily, "Although I, Yan Chixia, look ferocious, before I retired from the underworld, I was at least a captain of police, and I caught many notorious bandits. The court still owes me a lot of salary, so why would they want me wanted?"

"You poor scholar, if you were afraid, you could have retreated on your own, but you had to tarnish my reputation, forcing me to tell the truth..."

The scholar then remembered Yan Chixia's name and slapped his head.

"Oh yes, your name is Yan Chixia, and the murderer is Liu Yidao."

The young man in white shirt smiled and asked, "What's your name?"

The scholar stepped back and said, "My last name is Ning Caichen, and I am from Shaanxi. I came to Beiguo to collect debts for Jibaozhai, but the account book got wet by the rain, and the accounts are not clear. I was unable to collect the money, and I have no money to stay in a hotel, so I can only stay here..."

"I see."

The young man in white shirt suddenly understood, then he cupped his hands and said with a smile: "What a coincidence, my name is Zhao Lihe, and like you, I am also from Shaanxi. I am going to Yangzhou to discuss a business deal. These three are my fellow countrymen and the guards I hired."

"Lu Jianxing."

"Shen Lian."

"Ding Xian."

The three brothers bowed and told their names one after another.

Yan Chixia said calmly, "So you are a wealthy businessman, no wonder you are dressed in brocade clothes. But if you are a wealthy businessman, why bother to stay at Lanruo Temple? There is a county town three and a half miles west of here. There are good inns in the town. You should be able to afford a stay, right?"

Zhao Lihe sighed and said, "In today's world, what's the difference between living in an inn and living in an ancient temple in the wilderness?"

Yan Chixia raised his eyebrows, looked him up and down, and chuckled, "You fat sheep, you can see things clearly. Being robbed outside the city and being stolen inside the city, both are losing money, there is really no difference."

"However, if it's stolen, you can still keep your life. If it's robbed, I'm afraid you won't be able to keep your life!"

Lu Jianxing frowned, took a step forward, and said calmly: "There is no need for you to worry about this, Master Yan. We will take care of the safety of the master."

Just you guys?

Yan Chixia looked up and down at the three guards with contempt in his heart. Suddenly, his face changed and his expression became solemn.

These three people have steady lower bodies, good temperament, and restrained gleams in their eyes. They are actually real masters of the martial arts world!

Look at the young man in white shirt who is in the lead. He has a heroic face and is calm and composed. He also has the aura of having been in a high position for a long time. Such aura is definitely not something that an ordinary wealthy businessman can possess.

"It should be a high-ranking official from the court who returned home..."

Yan Chixia thought so in his heart, then frowned slightly and said in a cold voice: "If you insist on staying here, I will not stop you, but this place is full of ghosts and gloomy. If you stay here, it is best to light a bonfire and live together."

As he spoke, Yan Chixia looked at Ning Caichen and said, "Scholar, you can live with them!"

Ding Xian raised his eyebrows and said dissatisfiedly: "Why not with you?"

Yan Chixia smiled and said, "You can come with me. I'm going to meditate on the cushion in the temple. Would you like to rest beside me?"

Ning Caichen was slightly startled when he heard this, and followed Yan Chixia's gaze towards the Buddhist hall, where he immediately saw several broken Buddha statues.

The broken Buddha's body, the fractured arms, and the terrifying Buddha's head with dim eyes under the altar made Ning Caichen shiver uncontrollably, and he quickly hid beside Ding Xian.

"I appreciate Master Yan's kindness, but I...I'd better follow them!"

"Ha ha!"

Yan Chixia laughed with his head raised, picked up the sword in his backhand, turned around and left.

Shen Lian frowned upon seeing this, and approached Zhao Lihe, whispering, "Sir, do you really want Ning Caichen to follow us? With your imperial aura by his side, will the female ghost from Lanruo Temple dare to come?"

“…It’s okay.”

Zhao Lihe waved his hand and chuckled, "You forgot that the female ghost's target on the first night was not Ning Caichen."

Shen Lian said in a deep voice: "It's the Xiahou Swordsman!"

Zhao Lihe smiled and nodded, then took out a red paper umbrella and handed it to Shen Lian.

"Follow Xiahou. If the female ghost shows up, put her in the paper umbrella and bring her to me!"

"yes!"

Shen Lian took the paper umbrella and accepted the order respectfully.